A recent ENR survey of design firms, general contractors and subcontractors included two questions about technology. One asked what percentage of revenue the firms invest in research and development, and the other asked how the respondents feel about their data security. The responses suggest there might be a correlation.Overall, of 208 executives who responded to the questions, 42% say they spend less than half a percent on R&D. Take the investment up to just under 1% and 14% more join the club. Add another half percent investment and the group expands another 10% before dropping back to a 6% increase
Photo Courtesy of NRCS Arkansas' 116-ft-tall Lake Alma Dam impounds 8,000 acre-ft of water. Since construction in 1970, the community has flourished below it. Graphic Courtesy of DamWatch A national view of DamWatch shows alerts blooming as storms move through the Midwest in late June. Each flag is tagged to facility specific data. Related Links: DamWatch The precurser to DamWatch, ScourWatch Hartford, Conn.-based USEngineering Solutions unveiled on June 23 a national system to detect incidents that could imperil nearly 12,000 dams across the country. It integrates multiple data streams, including sensors and national seismic and meteorologic data, to issue alerts
Related Links: Parsing Distributed Energy Resources NREL Report: Impact of High Solar Penetration in the Western Interconnection A growing challenge from the evolution of energy resources—especially from solar arrays that now are starting to be enhanced by backup battery storage—is causing electric utilities to rethink the projects they build and the technologies they use to design, construct and operate them.The incremental installations of distributed generation are starting to add up. Solar power, while still a small fraction of the nation's installed base, is the fastest-growing form of new power generation, and that's a trend with implications for the power industry.DODSON"The
Related Links: Judge Braden's ruling Commentary on ruling by Liz Fagot, senior advisor, Dawson & Associates A May 1 ruling in federal district court in Washington, D.C., found that a failure of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-built levees in New Orleans allowed flooding and led to an illegal government taking of private property. The ruling has potentially big implications, prompting experts to consider appeals."I can't see the Corps not wanting an appeal on this," says Les Edelman, a senior counsel and senior advocate at Dawson and Associates Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm specializing in federal water resources and environmental
USAID A map of earthquake's epicenter and surrounding areas. Related Links: View Structural Engineer Kit Miyamoto's Latest Blog and Video from Nepal Quake Zone Kit Miyamoto's First Blog and Video from Quake Zone USAID Nepal Earthquake information page Hartford High School Engineers Help Nepal Students Power Up Since the devastating April 25 earthquake in Nepal that killed 7,500 people, the U.S. has provided more than $14.2 million in humanitarian aid. Federal disaster teams were reaching areas made inaccessible by landslides and debris triggered by the tremor that registered a magnitude-7.9. The federal military teams began aerial assessments of the stricken
Related Links: Software Advice landing page for construction software A new report on the software aspirations of contractors, based on analysis of thousands of inquiries from software buyers in 2014, shows that improving the accuracy of estimating is the goal driving most software shoppers, but the desire to improve doesn't align with a willingness to pay.The desires are not surprising, considering the analysis also found that 52% of the prospective buyers currently use pen and paper to conduct estimating, takeoff, bid management and other construction processes. In 34% of the inquiries analyzed a desire to improve estimating was cited. Improving
Related Links: International Strategic Development Solutions NoteVault In Afghanistan's Bamyan Province, a New Zealand-funded development project is now bringing 24-hour electricity to 2,490 homes and businesses in scattered hamlets with an off-the-grid, 1.05-MW network of solar arrays, batteries, backup generators and transmission lines.The $14.2-million project includes five arrays, mostly perched on rough hillsides about 10 km apart at an elevation of 8,500 ft. It now is in the hands of the Afghan national electricity utility for a 24-month, post-construction run-in maintenance period.The developer is the Bamyan Renewable Energy Programme Partnership. Program manager is International Strategic Development Solutions, a New Zealand
Photo Courtesy of Icarus Aerial In Minutes Trevor Duke, of Icarus Aerial LLC, an early enrollee in Workmode, says he can walk up to a job trailer, explain his services and be airborne in minutes. Map products processed and delivered by Workmode can bring valuable data to contractors. Photo Courtesy of Icarus Aerial Related Links: SkyCatch signup Icarus Aerials The commercial drone industry is rising like mushrooms after a rain, following recent moves by the Federal Aviation Administration that remove uncertainty about how it is likely to regulate drone flights once the laborious federal rule-making process runs its course. Pent-up
ENR asks an array of vendors serving the industry how they assure customers their data is secure and their services will not become a vector for the next cyberattack.